Zeishan Qadri, who played a pivotal role in Gangs of Wasseypur 2, was the co-writer of both the films directed by Anurag Kashyap. Qadri will be directing the third sequel which he has already written.

Zeishan Qadri, who played a pivotal role in Gangs of Wasseypur 2, was the co-writer of both the films dirceted by Anurag Kashyap. Qadri will be directing the third sequel which he has already written.

Even as Anurag Kashyap fought with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) over his production Udta Punjab, the filmmaker’s another movie seems to be in trouble. The third sequel of the 2012 hit Bollywood movie Gangs of Wasseypur is facing protest much before the shooting for the film began.

Residents of Wasseypur in Jharkhand have decided to protest against the upcoming movie because they believe the filmmakers allegedly ignored its “positive side” in the first two instalments to portray the area as a hub of crime bustling with gangsters and mafia dons.

Incidentally, Zeishan Quadri, the director and co-scriptwriter of Gangs of Wasseypur 3, hails from Wasseypur.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee and Tigmanshu Dhulia in a poster of Gangs of Wasseypur.

Zeishan, who also co-wrote the first two instalments of Gangs of Wasseypur, said the film was right on schedule. “The first two instalments of the Gangs of Wasseypur portrayed the events that occurred till 2002. The third sequel will narrate what happened between 2003 and 2015,” he said. “The script has already been completed, and now we have started shooting for the movie. It is expected to be completed by October, and the movie will hit theatres by the end of this year.”

The residents of Wasseypur, however, have no intention to allow the film run on its scheduled track. Objecting to the filmmakers using the name of the town in the movie title, ward councillor Nissar Alam alleged, “Crime in our locality actually increased after the first movie was released in 2012. The movie franchise has created a perception that Wasseypur is a haven for gangsters and criminals.”

Watch Manoj Bajpayee and Piyush Mishra in a song from Gangs of Wasseypur

Alam said it was tragic that Quadri, a “son of the soil”, was degrading Wasseypur’s image for personal gain. “Now, people from other parts of the country don’t want to keep in touch with us,” he claimed, adding that the filmmaker should have focused on the town’s positive aspects instead.

Bablu Faridi, district president of the BJP minority cell, expressing concern over the “ill-effects” of the movie franchise on youngsters in the locality.

According to residents of the town, hotels in other places across the country refuse them accommodation after taking one look at their residential proof. “It’s pathetic! Once the hotel manager finds out that you are a resident of Wasseypur, he suddenly starts pretending as if all the rooms are taken,” said Rustam Ansari, a resident of Ara More colony.

Watch Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a song from Gangs of Wasseypur 2

Quadri, however, rejected Alam’s contention that the movie franchise hiked crime levels in the town. “A film should be taken as a film… Besides, the films have exposed criminals and their modus operandi,” said Quadri, adding the protesters were creating a fuss just to gain cheap publicity.